First to Rise

ALITA

I set out early in the morning for the city. Most sane people would try to avoid the big cities. Although the place was full of loot such as gas, food, and supplies, it was also carefully watched by the invaders looking to catch any women or children they find and raiders looking to harass and steal goods from others.

It’s better to roam the city during the day to avoid most of the invaders; they are more active at night, and for good reason. They are deadly in the dark and know how to stalk prey without being seen.

At one point, people thought they were afraid of daylight, like vampires who would burn because of the sun. But that was just foolish. They aren’t ‘afraid’ of anything. Out of all the possible things that could have wiped out the human race, such as sickness, zombies, and global warming, these invaders were something we could never have prepared for.

I’ve not actually seen one up close, but I’ve caught glimpses and heard stories… They are fast, they are strong, and they are much bigger than us. Not to mention more well-equipped to fight. When the war first started, humans were put at a massive disadvantage.

The aliens were smart; they set off an EMP that wiped out nearly every single electronic device in the country. Vehicles, phones, weapons… so many things became useless overnight. They took out the military with ease and seized control over major cities within weeks. They even managed to quarantine off the country so that no outside interference would stop them.

They had shields that could deflect missiles and armor that could absorb bullets. Don’t even get me started on their weapons…

They were practically unstoppable.

In turn, people became desperate. Some would give themselves up to the aliens in hopes of not being killed, others would rather kill themselves than be taken away… they seem to not care too much about travelers they find roaming areas while scavenging. Very rarely do they bother men traveling alone. After all, they only care about one thing.

Women.

Why? Well, there are a few different theories. Some involve them creating farms or some crap, treating us like cattle. They would only need a few men and a ton of women to keep a population for an endless supply of human meat. Another story I’ve heard is that it’s for some kind of experimentation project, trying to create mutants or some crap out of babies… then there’s the idea that they specifically eat babies. I wonder what nutjob came up with that idea.

There were plenty of other fucked up ideas as to what the aliens wanted women for; the military did their damned best to keep things under wraps up until shit hit the fan. Right before all hell broke loose, they had made an announcement explaining why they came to earth.

They were dying…

The majority of their planet was wiped out by a plague that killed off nearly all of them; the vulnerable perished, leaving a very small number of their kind to survive. Their biggest issue was that the number consisted of mostly adult males.

There weren’t enough children for the next generation, and there were too few females to continue their bloodlines. So, with no other choices, they looked for a species that closely matched their own. And here we are, humans vs. their alien invaders, both races fighting to survive…

I almost felt bad for them; they just wanted to save themselves from extinction. Things were going so well in the beginning from what I could tell; the military was undergoing negotiations, but something went wrong and it turned into a full-on war.

With the military gone, us civilians are left to defend ourselves and try to survive now in what’s left of our modern society. Scavenging what few goods we can find and trying not to get killed by our own.

After about two to three hours of walking, I finally reached the outskirts of the city where the suburbs were. I adjusted my backpack and the gas canister I was carrying as my nerves started getting the better of me.

Sure, the aliens usually don’t bother scavengers, but that’s a whole different story if you’re female. If I’m found, then I will be hunted down by their kind and taken back to their ships. God only knows what happens on their spacecraft; all the stories I’ve heard were far from pleasant, and the last thing I wanted was to be turned into some alien monster’s breeder.

Just the thought made me shudder in disgust. And besides the aliens, there were a lot of raider groups who would either kill you, sell you, or harass you, beat you, and then steal your goods.

Sighing, I made my way through the suburbs looking for some cars that might have some gas left in them. Gas was one of the harder things to get and well sought after by camps or groups who owned generators. My camp had three that kept the lights running, and with winter approaching soon, the heaters.

Everyone has to contribute to the gas collection if they want to stay in the camp, and camps are one of the only things keeping many people alive. There's strength in numbers, especially against raiders. In the camp, you don't have to worry about being ganged up on, starving, or finding a safe place to sleep. The camps provide, even if you're forced into labor every once in a while. I'm not complaining; if I have to work to earn my keep, then I will... I'm just at a worse risk going into the city, secretly being a female underneath all these layers of clothing.

Checking a few cars, I popped the gas caps and had no luck on the first three. The fourth one had a little bit left, but nowhere near enough to fill my canister. I groaned and looked around the area. The last thing I wanted was to go deeper into the city; the place was practically swarming with invaders, and I only had a few hours before sundown.

I don't want to spend the night here, but I can't go back without at least half a canister... biting my lip under the mask, I made my way deeper into the city, entering the northern commercial district. Here, there were a lot more cars and stores.

I managed to fill my canister a quarter of the way on the third car and stopped in front of an old convenience store.

I stared at the inside, debating on checking it. Making up my mind, I went inside, setting the gas canister by the door and looked around. Like every other place, it was completely ransacked. Looking through the clothing section, I came across a winter coat with some faux fur lining on the hood.

I removed my old worn jacket and frowned at how uncomfortable it was to have my breasts wrapped in order to keep them hidden. With just a shirt on, it was still a bit noticeable, but with the second layer of clothing such as a jacket, you wouldn't be able to tell I have a chest at all.

Trying the coat on, it fit well enough, making me smile. This would be perfect for winter. Going around, I looked for anything else that might be useful. I found a can of cat food and came across some feminine products.

I looked over the items, worried about taking them. They were something I dearly needed to stop my period each month from giving my secret away, but it would also be dangerous to carry them around if someone found me like raiders...

Any number of things could happen if I was found with these. Cursing to myself, I removed my backpack and grabbed a handful, stuffing them in a side pocket, hoping they won't be seen. It's a lose-lose situation no matter what I choose.

Making my way back outside, I noticed the gas was missing. I looked around only to freeze at the sound of a whistle and a man's voice. “Looking for this?”

Looking up, I saw five men sitting on an old broken-down truck right outside the front of the store, each of them carrying modified weapons like baseball bats, lead pipes, or guns. One of them was holding my gas canister with a smirk on his face. “Looking for this?”

My stomach sank at the sight of them, and I stepped back towards the store, only to be blocked by another guy with a fire axe.

Fuck, I have really shitty luck.

I looked back and forth nervously between the thugs, unsure what to do.

“Looks like we got ourselves a little rat up in these parts, boys. He's over here stealing our gas and supplies!” They surrounded me, and I could feel my heart starting to pound in my chest. This was really bad!

“Show us what's in the bag, punk...” Hesitantly, I handed over my backpack to one of them, and they kept their weapons trained on me, so I kept my hands up, hoping they wouldn't find the handful of tampons I just stuffed inside.

I watched anxiously as he opened it up, digging through my bag, finding a water bottle, cat food, some matches, and basic stuff that literally anyone else would carry.

He looked up to their leader and shook his head when he found nothing of interest. I silently sighed in relief over the fact that he overlooked the side pocket. Hopefully, now they will just take the gas and leave me alone since I've got nothing else to offer.

The man sitting on top of the truck huffed, irritated with the lack of goods. He looked me over, and I avoided his gaze, keeping my head down.

“That's a pretty nice coat you got there…”

I paled at his words. Oh no…

“I think it'd look good on me… hand it over, and we'll be on our way… give me your pants too while you're at it!” They all snickered. No, no, no… if they make me take off my clothes, they might notice I'm a girl… if they notice I'm a girl, there's no telling what they will do to me… they might kill me or try to sell me off to the aliens… they might even try forcing themselves on me.

I felt bile rising in my stomach at the thought as I stood there frozen. “Hey! Are you deaf or something? I said ‘Give me your shit,’ you bastard…”

He jumped off the hood of the truck and stepped closer to me, hanging his barbed baseball bat over his shoulder.

Swallowing hard, with shaking hands, I started unbuttoning the front of my coat. I was completely terrified. I couldn't run; I'd die if I tried to fight… I'm completely screwed!

I finished unbuttoning it and started to remove the coat, only to freeze as a shadow passed overhead and a monstrous roar could be heard from above. We all looked up, seeing the dark creature crash into the building above, latching onto the side. It shook out its feathers as its head turned to look at us. Its lip pulled back, showing its fangs as dark eyes stared back at us. At the sight of it looking down at us, the thugs started panicking.

“Fuck! Shoot that thing!” The thugs who held guns shot at the creature, earning an angry snarl. A metal spear of some kind came flying and stabbed one of them through the chest, pinning him to the car. A smaller dark figure jumped off the creature's back, landing on the ground. The humanoid slowly rose to its 7th stature, glaring at each of us as it flexed its claws. The horns atop its head made it look even more menacing than it already was. Taking the chance, I grabbed my bag and the dropped canister of gas before making a run for it.

“Hey, the fucking rat is getting away!” The man was suddenly stabbed in the back with a blade by the large humanoid alien.

The two remaining thugs backed away as it lifted the man up with its tail before tossing him to the side. His body now little more than a limp corpse.

I didn't look back and kept running as gunshots went off behind me. Finding a dark abandoned coffee shop, I went inside and hid behind the counter, panting. The gunshots finally ceased, and everything was silent except for my heavy breathing. I readjusted my coat and buttoned it back up before pressing my back up against the counter, trying to calm myself down.

A few minutes passed, and I thought I was in the clear, only to freeze when a bell chimed from the front door of the shop being opened.

Covering my mouth, I glanced around the corner to see a humanoid figure standing in the doorway. He had a long tail with a bloodied blade at the end of it and horns atop his head that pointed straight upward. The alien was adorned with some kind of armor and had a large metal spear in his hand.

I quickly went back to hiding as he stepped forward to look around the coffee shop. Broken glass crackled under his feet with each step.

From the reflection on a metal mixing bowl, I could see him scanning the room. He paused for a moment, lifting his spear. With a click of a button, the thing retracted in on itself into a small metal rod, and he fastened it to his belt.

He then said something in an alien language, as if talking to someone else. Do they have long-distance communicators?

I stayed quiet and watched, waiting for him to do something else. He waited for a response, then spoke again before turning and walking out of the coffee shop.

The sound of the monster from before screeching and taking off into the air made me relax as I rested my head back against the counter. That was close…

Looking outside, I could see it would be dark soon. I've got no choice but to stay in the city tonight; it would be far too risky traveling at night, and I still needed more gas.

Sighing, I made my way over to a different store, one I could barricade myself in and rest inside for the night.

I really hope I get some sleep tonight.